Netanyahu Blames the Leaders of the UK, France, and Canada For the Murders of Young Israeli Diplomats in DC
We begin with the hideous murders of young Israeli embassy workers, which has led Israeli leaders to blame the leaders of the UK, France, and Canada for anti-Semitic and anti-Israel incitement, with PM Netanyahu accusing them of “emboldening Hamas” and siding with “mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers.” Joining us to discuss the weaponization of anti-Semitism being deployed by the Trump administration — which has more than its share of antisemites and Neo-Nazis in its ranks — to bring American academia to heel is Rabbi Steven Jacobs, who has spent over five decades as an advocate on behalf of social change, spirituality, and civil rights. The founder of the Rabbi Steven B. Jacobs Progressive Faith Foundation, until his recent retirement, he also served as the spiritual leader of Temple Kol Tikvah, a Reform congregation he founded in 1984. Active in the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s, he has worked to promote tolerance and cooperation among the African-American, Jewish, and Muslim communities of Los Angeles.
A Path Forward For Those Who Want to Stop the Killing of Innocents
Then we speak with Mitchell Plitnick, the president of ReThinking Foreign Policy and a former vice president at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. A political analyst and frequent writer on the Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy, he previously served as director of the U.S. Office of B’Tselem and co-director of Jewish Voice for Peace. He is the co-author with Marc Lamont Hill of Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics and we explore a path forward for those who want to stop the killing of innocents but do not support Hamas in any way.
The Ongoing Humanitarian Nightmare in Gaza
Then finally, we discuss the ongoing humanitarian nightmare in Gaza and speak with Omar Shakir, who serves as the Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch, where he investigates human rights abuses in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza and has authored several major reports, including a 2021 report comprehensively documenting how Israeli authorities are committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution against millions of Palestinians. As a result of his advocacy, the Israeli government deported Omar in November 2019.